Element Academy

That same day...Page

Page awoke with a start. Bright sunlight streamed in through the holes of the blinds. Page groggily rubbed her eyes and slowly climbed out of bed. A glance at her black alarm clock told here it was 8:48 in the morning. A crack ran through the four. There was no need for her to get dressed, she fell asleep with the ones from yesterday on.

Quietly, approached the dark door careful to step over the random objects strewn all over the floor; clothes, cups, plates, shoes, etc. Slowly she turned the brass door handle and opened the door. She cringed at the door’s screeches of protest. Page glanced mildly at the peeling beige paint and the rotting wooden panels that covered the lower half of the wall.

As she approached the kitchen, Page hardly flinched when her mother groaned in her drunken sleep as she was laying on the living room couch. Page went to the counter and picked up a plastic bowl. She went over and picked up a box of cereal to find something had chewed a hole in the back corner. She just shrugged and poured the cereal into the bowl. She grabbed the cleanest looking spoon from the sink and rinsed it off, while avoiding the tiling that was coming undone and the steady trickle of water dripping from its center. The sound of static filled the air from the T.V. in the darkened living room.

Police sirens and gun shots filled the early morning air as Page calmly poured day old milk into her cereal bowl and enjoyed her breakfast.

When she was done she continued her usual morning routine. She ruffled her hair to get the usual spikey look she normally sports. Page grabbed her black jacket and found a folded dollar bill in the pocket. Page smiled, her dad was a workaholic and a cheat, but he still liked to show Page he cared.

After shoving the ten in her pants pocket, Page continued on and left the apartment to go check the mail box downstairs. As she was walking down the stairs, she noticed Chuck the dealer heading up.

"Hey Page," he greeted with a smile that made Page's stomach curl, "long time, no speak."

"Hi Chuck," she replied steely.

"You aren't still mad at me are ya?" he asked with that fake tone of his.

"You almost got me sent to juvie," she growled before continuing on her way.

"Come on Page. Dont be that way!" Chuck called after her, but Page was determined not to give him any more attention then she already had.

When she reached the mail box, she shoved the key into the box and yanked the mail out of the box. A manila envelope plopped to the ground. Page looked down at it curiously before slowly picking it up off the ground. It had come out of her family's mailbox hadn't it? She turned it over and it was addressed to her! From some place called "Camp".  

An excitement filled Page. She gripped the mail tight and took off back to her apartment, passing up Chuck without even giving him a glance.

"Hey, hey, where's the fire, firecracker?" he shouted up to her. Page just shook her head and went into her apartment.

She made sure to close the door quietly  to make sure she didnt wake her mother, before quickly rushing into her room. She poured out the contents of the manila envelope to find two different stacks wound in rubberbands. One said for Page's Eyes only, while the other said for The Parents. She opened the letter addressed to her and read the contents.

Dear Page,

 

We are pleased to tell you that you have shown exceptional potential in a way that you could hardly imagine. We ask that you would join us for a two week summer program here at our camp.

 After looking at you parent's financial status and other surrounding circumstances we have agreed to waive the camp fee in order to attend our camp so long as you agree to participate in a form of work study that includes doing certain "chores" around the camp. We have included a second pamphlet to tell them what you can accomplish if you choose to join us this summer.

The accompanying pamphlet and this letter is addressed to you and is for your eyes only.

 

Sincerely,

The Elemental Academy

 Page leaned against the wall in shock as took out the pamphlet and looked at its cover. She read through the pamphlet in disbelief: a camp for bending the elements?! And it was free! She took out the plane and bus tickets that were within the pamphlet. This had to be true right? If it was fake why would they pay for a bus and plane ticket to get her to Montana?

Page shook her head, it didn't matter. Two weeks away from this lousy dump heap? Heck yes! Page dug out the home phone from her dresser drawer and dialed the number on the pamplet to confirm her spot.